Track-saddle



(N0 Model.)

F. A. OBERER 85 J. S. KALB.

TRAGK SADDLE. No. 477,570. Patented June 21,1892.

1 1mm m mnuuml WITNESSES INVENTOR8 5 v NITE rn'rns FRANK A. OBERER AND JOHN S. KALB, OF OHlLLIC-OTHE, OHIO.

TRACK=SADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 477,570, dated June 21, 1892. Application filed September 22, 1890. serial No. 365,704. (No model.)

T0 or. whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK A. OBERER and JOHN S. KALB, citizens of the United States, residing at Chillicothe, in the county of Ross and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-Saddles; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to 'make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to harness; and it consists in certain improvements in track-saddles, as hereinafter set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Heretofore track-saddles have been made with stiif metallic trees, in which the linerings are secured by burrs or otherwise, the trees being long enough to contain two or three holes, so as to permit the rings to be placed at the desired distance apart. These long trees, however, are in flexible and do not conform closely to the horses back. They cannot be made shorter than the pads, since the latter must be supported their whole length and would be liable to break should the tree terminate at some point short of the It has been proposed in the I end of the pad.

' case of gig-saddles to use a short iron tree and extend the pad beyond it, with a leather stiffener to reinforce the pad; but in this construction no opportunity is afforded to change the line-rings or to alter the gig-saddle into a track-saddle, the only foundation for the rings being the short iron tree.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of our improved track-tree. Fig. 2 is an elevation, half in sectio11,of our track-saddle; and Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one of the pads.

To use a short iron tree A,Which contains near each end a hole and recess a for a burr 12, into which is screwed the pad-screw B. The line-rings can be inserted at this point when it is desired to change the saddle to a gig or buggy saddle.

Riveted or otherwiserigidlysecured to the short tree A are plates of metal, preferably spring-steel A, which form a continuation of the tree on each side and extend to the ends of the padsO. A leather piece D is fastened upon and covers the tree A A from one end to the other, the edges of the pad-eovers be ing tacked to it, as shown in Fig. 3. In each steel plate is formed one or more holes for the shank of the line-ring E, which screws into a burr e,'resting between two ribs a, formed upon or secured to the plate. A leather shield can be placed under the burr and fastened to the plate to prevent the burr from being lost in the stuffing of the pad. In case, however, it should be desired'tochange the mountings the burr 6 can be readily removed through an opening a in the tree extension A, said opening being covered by a flap (Z, formed by a V- shaped cut in the leather piece D. The manner of lifting this flap to get at the burr e is shown in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Furthermore, by changing the relative posh tions of the line-rings and pad-screws from those illustrated the saddle may be trans formed from a track to a gig saddle.

The housings, skirts, trace-bearers, and other portions of the saddle not previously referred to are those commonly used and need no special description.

An important function of our saddle is the flexibility of the tree A A. The plates of springsteel, while affording a firm support for the pads and for the attachment of the linerings, nevertheless possess sufficient. elas ticity to permit the pads to bend and accommodate themselves to the shape of the horses back. I

Its degree of flexibility depends primarily upon the steel extension, but can be altered somewhat, if desired, by carrying the tracebearer F up beyond the pad-screw B, instead of terminating it at the point shown in the drawings.

Having thus described ourinvention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is-

1. Ina track'saddlaa short rigid metallic tree A,provided with openings a,flexible metallic plates A, secured to said tree, said plates I rings E, and the burrs e, substantially as debeing also provided with openings and ribs a, scribed. pads C beneath the trees and plates, pad- In testimony whereof we affixoursignatures screws B, line-rings E, secured to the plates, in presence of two witnesses.

5 and burrs b e.

2. The combinatiomwith the short metallic FRANK A. OBERER. tree A, of the flexiblemetallic extensions A, JOHN S. KALB. having openings for the line-rings and holes WVitnesses: a adjacent thereto, the leather piece D, hav- AUGUST SCHMIDT,

[0 ing the flap d to cover the holes M, the line- JACOB R. GALBRAITH. 

